[PQ] Long may you run

The big man's information was welcome as a place to start, though Jigano shared a frown with Deimos over hearing about a 'Pit.' But he had said 'captured' not 'killed' and that meant their friends were alive and there was still hope for this rescue mission, one that renewed the bard's strength of purpose as he followed his corvid allies into the trees once more.

Invisible hackles rose at the voice (a Voice, but not the Voice) that wound through the trees like morning mist glistening on a serpent's scales, beautiful, sweet, dangerous. It was not a voice that should have been there, as they made their way carefully into the Woods...

It was not a voice that should have been able to overcome his own light geas on the crows. He was new to the power, wielding it softly and with care, but still he had not thought another could slice the cords of his communion with his feathered cousins so easily. That alone would have put him on edge, but the casual way the woman wielded her power over the tree sent ice down his spine, even as her lovely appearance and sweet words charmed him.

Her words were everything they had wanted to hear, and she had no wings upon her back as she turned away, but Jigano remembered Ianto leading them just as courteously into an ambush, and he shared a worried glance with Samuel and Killian . "Yes," he agreed softly, with his friend, his eyes concerned but determined. "But I don't know what other options we have. If you want to turn around, this might be your last chance," he offered softly to the two men who had come with him at his request - a request he was now second-guessing after the petite woman's powerful display.

Jigano had learned a lesson from his last adventure in the woods, at least: don't get separated. When Deimos took off after the woman - Fae? Did some Fae not have wings? - Jigano drew himself up and made sure Sam and Killian were either close or retreating before he trotted to catch up. "Great Lady," he spoke up, offering a courteous bow to the red-haired... druid? dryad? "We had not expected such kindness. Do you know why our friends were taken? And is there something we can do for you in trade for your help? I am a bard, and could perhaps offer you songs or stories - either for your entertainment, or crafted in your honor - should we prove successful and survive this mission of mercy." His voice was sweet and light, but his blue eyes kept careful scan of the woods around them, remembering the feather-bark disguise that had been dropped by one of Amalia's captors, and giving him a clue of what to keep watch for in case another ambush was in the making.

ARDUINNA

They ponder and they mutter to themselves, and Arduinna walks on. Only at the large warrior's agreement to follow does she turn her fiery head, offering him a cupid's bow smile and a gesture to follow her lead. The trees that wind about her seem sad to let her go, leaves caressing her soft skin, branches tugging playfully at her skirts, and on bare feet she hops to avoid the gentle grasp of roots.

Great lady, the pale one calls her, and Arduinna's smile and molten eyes turn upon Jigano. "Kindness?" she echoes, as if tasting the word upon her tongue before seemingly discarding it. "Yes, I do know. They were taken because they threaten to change this forest. As do you all. And those within the Sidhe village - most of those, I ought to say - do not wish that on these woods."

Her smile grows once more at the suggestion of trade, of gain-for-gain, and Arduinna inclines her head yes. "I am sure there is something I may need. Let me think on it, bard."

---

You're headed deeper into the woods!
Please post a number between 1-4 at the beginning of your post.
You have 24 hours to respond.

Nature, nurture heaven and home
Sum of all, and by them, driven
To conquer every mountain shown

Table by Sky!

2
He stretched his thoughts out to his crows again, seeking to understand how she had broken his connection to them the first time. Lightly, with just a whisper of power, he tried to coax them into following him again. He would increase the strength of his summons to them if that didn't work, trying to test the limits of this sudden cap on his ability to call upon his feathered friends.

The way the woods adored her, the trees shifting like great, slow cats to try and catch her attention, did not go unnoticed. If Caido didn't have dryads as he knew them, this beautiful woman was surely the closest thing to one, Jigano thought as he followed in her wake. Her voice was no less lovely than her form, and the musician in him itched to provide a melody for her to sing to, but the seriousness of their mission and the danger that might even now surround them, unseen, kept him alert for trouble beyond their guide's presence.

"Change can be frightening," he agreed, "and it is not easy to face what we fear with poise. Easier by far to attack it instead, and cling to the past, and the familiarity of tradition." Was that not what the schism between so many naturals and outlanders had boiled down to? Now that it was in the past he did not know if 'right' or 'wrong' could be applied to either side, though he still wished things had at least proceeded at a slower pace. Was this how the Fae viewed them? As an intrusion - an invasion - of Outlanders? The Barrier might as well have been a separate world, after all, and even those born to Caido were now finding themselves strangers in their own larger world.

He looked around at his companions with lingering concern, wondering if Deimos and Sam were making the same connections - and to reassure himself that those he had convinced to join him were still safe. Once he knew that all of those who had stayed were accounted for, he turned his attention back to their guide. "But what of you, Lady? What do you think of the fall of the barrier and the changes we might bring to your woods?"

DEIMOS Delivered from the blasts 3 So it was the same old song, the same old lines, the same old stanzas – Outlanders and Naturals alike not wanted beneath the shroud and boughs of their leaves. He wondered if there would be a revolution after this, an ill-timed mob with their hostile mentality launching at them because the world dared to peek into their threshold, to explore the boundaries of a world they barely knew. They threatened change, and gods, he could understand the aspects of the rubble and ruin requiring alteration to survive, resisting the futile march of morphing and assimilating coming to press down over shoulders and scalps. This realm had already resculpted and reshaped his form, whittled away the more anguished, tortured, tormented bits and pieces, strung him together on a steadfast, streamlined approach: Deimos still within, the Reaper through and through (because the Fae would know his ruthlessness if they insisted upon it, because they’d see a force, a shape and glimmer of oblivion), but with emptied contortions being filled in, the hollowed becoming hallowed. “Change is inevitable.” It erupted from his throat, distinguished by the deep rumble – if it wasn’t them, it’d be someone else floating and wafting their way through the woods, chasing down incorporeal forms and bounding out – but eventually someone would stay, something would stick. The notion was not said unkindly, but a mere extension of fact; that kingdoms rose and fall, that challenges were faced amidst calamity and repose. Jigano had continued along the same lines, pondered over the foretold modifications and adaptations, and Deimos wondered how strictly this kingdom would try and maintain its status quo, refusing to respond to the passing of time, rearing their heads and baring their teeth while the void came for them all. Even amidst the peril and the plight, the vaguest notion sprung in his cranium, curled and coiled its curiosity, the piercing slate of his eyes pinpointed on the sprigs of red, blood in the forest. “What do you wish for then?” An echo of a line he'd recited amidst a growing mob, pandemonium amidst the spire. the last of a line of lasts

1 "I'm not going to turn around." Sam insisted, surprised by the boldness in his own voice. As much as he was scared, once he started something he did not want to end it prematurely. What would that make him? Sam the coward, Sam the wimp, everything everyone had always said. No, it was best to stick things out, even if they would lump him with flashbacks and nightmares for weeks to come. And he suspected by the end of this journey, he would have plenty to have nightmares about. Staying close to Jigano, the other man an anchor for him in this mission, he nervously followed and stayed silent, too scared of this woman to engage in much conversation with her. He did think Jigano rather foolhardy to bring up the upset of the barrier, their entrance into the woods, with someone who may hate them for it and have the power to hurt them for the crime. But he stayed quiet, just staring at the ground and wondering if she knew he had been at the Spire. -- Sam follows! And stays quiet like a lil nerd as always. SAMUEL How could a night so frozen Be so scalding hot? How can a morning this mild Be so raw?

KILLIAN

4

Jigano turned to Kiki and Sam, the two more visibly nervous of the group. Kiki's eyes followed his friend, his fingers still turning the ring and then pin. Of course Jigano was right, this was really their only lead in finding the missing persons. It could be dangerous, it very likely would be, and the only question now was whether or not Killian was willing to take the risk.

Killian mulled over the decision, turning to glance at Deimos when he agreed to follow. Jigano moved forwards after him, and suddenly Kiki was the only one not walking anymore. Well, he wasn't going to turn back now, all alone. That could prove to be just as dangerous anyway. Plus, he'd reassured himself that this mission was the right thing to do, and that the captives likely wouldn't free themselves.

"Hold up," he half said to them, and half sighed to himself, jogging to catch up to the group. A deep breath, he dropped his hand from the chain and shook off his worries, falling into step with the others. The guild master did not hesitate to urge answers from the ethereal woman, who responded with that sweet and borderline venomous lilt. What she said made sense, he knew the outlanders were a threat in the eyes of not just the fae. They were making changes to this world, however good or bad they did not yet know.

But wasn't it a bit presumptuous of them, to capture those who came into the woods simply because they might alter things? These were the kind of actions that kindled into conflict on a much larger scale. These were the actions that started wars - he'd only just escaped the last, and he had no plans on being apart of one again. He kept all his thoughts to himself, letting Deimos and Jigano take the lead in the conversation. What business did the boy have in these politics anyhow, he was just a runaway.

run for the hills before they burn
listen to the sound of the world
don’t watch it turn

ARDUINNA

Arduinna hummed a sigh in response; a melodic sound with a hint of amusement. Before her the forest seemed to part and move, almost, blossoms leaning down to offer kisses to her fiery hair, birdsong sweet in their wake. "The fall of the barrier heralds a great threat to Caido," she mused. "But those who lived within would know best what we may face. Would you not agree?" She glanced across at Jigano, before the deep thrum of the larger warrior's voice lay claim to her attention.

"For whom?" she asked. For the Fae of the forest, for those who lived within the Sidhe Village? Or for those who came from the Hollowed Grounds?

---

Jigano: Whilst the forest seems to love the lady he walks with, it seems somewhat... jealous of the bard for taking so much of her time. A thorny vine snakes out and curls around his ankle, attempting to pull him into the undergrowth!

Sam/Deimos: Those of few words are lucky, and nothing happens to aid or impede their journey through the woods.

Killian: Dithering and late, the Greatwood takes advantage of Killian's distraction. What is that through the trees, Kiki? Glowing, ethereal, gorgeous... you would swear, from all that you have read and all that you know, that it is Soleil herself right there. She walks, though, a different path to the one you are following. What might you do?

You have 24 hours to respond!

Nature, nurture heaven and home
Sum of all, and by them, driven
To conquer every mountain shown

Table by Sky!

KILLIAN

The walk continued, Killian began to zone out of the conversation of politics and instead turned his attention to the forest around him. With Arduinna it seemed so much more kind, as if her presence had humbled it into complacency. She walked through it without so much as a glance at the ground for roots that might trip her, or thorns that might nick her. The forest wouldn't dare to obstruct the path of it's queen.

But it was more than willing to taunt him. Through the trees he saw a flash of golden light, gorgeous and bright and what he'd been missing since he arrived in this world. She was the sun, burning through the thicket, the brightest star. Kiki came to a full stop, his honey brown eyes locked on the goddess. So lost in her beauty that he didn’t even notice his group moving on and Jigano being attacked by the brush. For a moment he could only see her, who followed a separate path. A brighter path. Had she come to bring him back to Regne du Jour and all that was? The boy took a few steps towards her, a smile beginning to form on his lips, a glimmer of hope that he was awakening from this long dream, but then he stopped.

The heat, it was just that. It was a powerful warmth that he felt, but not hers. No, it was too soon to have forgotten the way Soleil's presence filled him with such radiance, the way his veins would pulse with liquid light. This was not that, this was a trick of the eyes, a cruelty of the great wood. This world was no long dream, Caido was real and he wouldn’t ever go back - he knew that. But he'd been so close to something just now, so close to a feeling that he thought he'd never know again. A strange magic kept trying to pull him towards her, be it his own instincts telling him she was real, or the wildwood's fingers pulling tightly on his strings.

Killian hitched a deep breath, bringing his hand up to press his palms into his eyes. Wake up, he reminded himself the dream was there, reality was here and now. When he dropped his hands again, she was still waiting, calling to him in all her beautiful glory. There was an odd guilty pit in his stomach as he walked away from her, as if he were letting her down. A failure again, always a failure. Even as he caught up with the others he could still feel those fiery eyes boring into his skull, wincing when he could hear her booming call in his mind, hotter and hotter. But it wasn’t the same, that was the only thing that kept him on their assumedly right path.

run for the hills before they burn
listen to the sound of the world
don’t watch it turn

The trees were alive, and not with the sound of music. They way they reached for Arduinna was beautiful and distracting, though Jigano had kept wary eyes through the woods beyond, alert to an out-of-place movement or a sliver of light reflecting from an oversized dragonfly's wing.

He had not kept eyes on the ground itself, unable to watch all directions at once, and his focus was split as he tried to reach out to the crows he had called earlier, stretching the limits of his ability only to find... nothing. They were gone from his ability to control them and in that moment of distraction he paid for that oversight as he found his leg suddenly jerked out from under him, a thorny vine biting into the leather of his boot. "Hey!" he cried out twisting to try and grab for something to hold on to and stop his untimely separation from his group. The first thing that came to hand was the leg of the person he had been walking next to - Deimos . The bard twisted, instinctively letting the shape of his foot flow towards something more slender, white-furred and dainty, not shaped quite right so he could slide it out of the boot. As he pulled free he regained his human foot, bare now as the vine retreated with his boot in its grasp.

He cast Arduinna's back a wounded look as he tugged off his other boot in resignation, hooking it through the strap of his supply bag as he regained his feet with a deft roll. A quick glance showed Sam and Killian both untouched, though the youngest among them looked... unsettled. "What's wrong?" he asked Killian softly, leaving Deimos to gather more information from their unexpected guide.

Arduinna spoke of threats, of the barrier...Sam was barely listening, staring past her into the woods she was leading them towards. Every second he expected to see a monster lurking in the branches, or a group of soldiers with swords. But it was strangely quiet, at least until Jigano was suddenly grabbed next to him, yelling out. Immediately Sam rushed to help his friend, trying to work out what was happening and reaching for his arm to tug - but then Jigano seemed to step out of the vine without too much trouble. Jigano went to go and ask after Killian (who did admittedly look quite rattled) but Sam stayed close behind him, wanting to make sure he was alright. The thorns had looked rather sharp. "Jigano, are you hurt?" He asked once Killian had given his answer, for the moment ignoring Arduinna and the forest around them. SAMUEL How could a night so frozen Be so scalding hot? How can a morning this mild Be so raw?

DEIMOS Delivered from the blasts The forest swayed to her movements, and he watched, waited, in vivid silence, listening for the details buried, burrowed, in the singsong, in the deceptive, deceitful air. The Reaper’s senses have always been honed and ready for the treacherous lines running underneath everyone and everything; a symptom of living through wars and terrors, horrors and anguish. For whom? He wanted to snort – for everyone - he couldn’t imagine the Fae would be anything more or less than them, and perhaps erosion and alterations came with longer intervals, spun in cycles rather than instances and moments. The other tones though caused his brows to arch, eyes flicking back to her after chancing glances at the trees, at the boughs, those within would know best what we may face indeed; did she refer to the Naturals? As an Outlander, he didn’t have a hope or prayer; his views came from the outside worlds, blended together and shattered against these particular outcrops. A grip suddenly on his leg shocked him away from any response. He looked down briefly to witness Jigano struggling to make an impasse with a thorny vine, and he stood still so the bard could gain his bearings, his hands thinking to immediately go to his hunting knife and strike the damned plant. However, Jigano managed to free himself before the warrior can remove the dagger from its sheath. It remained tucked on his belt, foreboding and eager, while his attention diverted again to the other members of their party, one shocked and addled, rattled and shaken. The beast tilted his head, a hushed inquiry on his lips, not wishing to alert the Fae that there might be something wrong and fettering at one of their own; no weaknesses ignited or kindled, incensed or proclaimed. the last of a line of lasts

ARDUINNA

"Hey, now. Mind your manners." Arduinna's voice, while not sharp, exactly, definitely takes on an authoritative tone as she addresses the vine that had tried to snake around Jigano's leg. At her chiding the plant skitters back into the undergrowth, scalded and guilty. "Don't mind them," she purrs, glancing over her shoulder and inclining her head apologetically to Jigano. "They aren't poisonous, at least. Ah - do keep an eye on your friend, though. The forest likes to play with the mind as well as the body."

Winking at Killian, Arduinna turns back and hops over a root that has crawled in their way, offering up a sweet apple for the Fae's taking. She accepts, slowing her steps but a few moments later at movement in the distance, at the quiet sound of water.

"We are close," she warns. "Ready yourselves."

---

You are almost at the Sidhe village! Ready yourself as best you can for... battle? Maybe?

No posting order. You have 24 hours.

Nature, nurture heaven and home
Sum of all, and by them, driven
To conquer every mountain shown

Table by Sky!

Delah's troops hide in plain sight; they are the trees, the leaves, the mosses that grow underfoot. Illusion is their speciality and they cloak themselves in the very woods that raised them. With hungry eyes they watch Arduinna leading the outsiders, revealing the mimicry of the woods for what it is and bringing them towards the village.

They know not her plan, but they know better than to move against her.

Yet, anyways.

Coding base by Sky!

As soon as Arduinna told them they were close, Sam begin to turn transparent, beginning at his fingertips and spreading up his arms, then to his torso and head, finally his legs disappearing too. While he knew he could still be seen if someone looked at the right angle, noticed the wobbling of the outlines around him, he felt so much safer when he was invisible, as if he were a silent ghost, an observer, not having to be involved in the proceedings. He continued to silently follow next to Jigano, still distrustful of the woman before him and as each second passed, nervous of the woods surrounding them. -- Sam turns invisible then keeps following! SAMUEL How could a night so frozen Be so scalding hot? How can a morning this mild Be so raw?